Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/670

 66o Revieivs of Books tion of the period of French occupation, but his book is too largely- devoted to defending the memory of Kerlerec. Very naturally, says Dr. Franz, no Frenchman has cared to attempt to describe in detail the failures and losses of French colonization in old Louisiana. If the task is now taken up by a German, it is because the author, though now resident in Europe, was born in the Mississippi valley and spent the early years of his life there. Moreover, Dr. Franz believes that his study of this long past history of early colonization in America will be of interest and profit to the Fatherland, which is now standing at the threshold of its colonial development. French colonization in the Mississippi valley was a failure ; but the investigation of the causes of that failure may serve as an object-lesson to Germans, who, start- ing far behind the other nations as colonizers, have no time to lose in useless experiments. Thus the author hopes that his book will serve not only scientific but also national ends. At a later time he expects to find the opportunity to write the history of the Mississippi valley down to the present time. In this work of the future he purposes to use the archives which, on account of his professional duties, he was unable to consult for the present work. All historical students will regret that the author was not able to consult the archives of the Louisiana Historical Society or, better, those of Paris ; for many times in this work he seems in doubt which of conflicting statements in secondary authorities he should accept, when access to the " sources " would have settled the question. Moreover, he occasionally falls into errors of fact, apparently because he has not the sources before him. Thus he states that the riches of the " sieben Stadte von Quivira " were reported by De Vaca (p. 22). De Vaca, however, did not mention these cities. It is not correct to state that when Coronado led his expedition to the north, the Moor Estevanico was in his train (p. 22). The Moor went on the expedition of Fray Marcos. The view that La Salle purposely missed the mouth of the Mississippi and went to Texas (pp. 46, 52) was held by Shea, but he never proved it. La Salle did not call the Mississippi the " St. Louis" (p. 46); he named it "Colbert ou Mississipi ". The English Turn is not twenty-eight miles from the sea (p. 61), but twenty- eight leagues. Fort Louis was not moved up the river (p. 85), but down to the present site of Mobile. "Bernard de la Harpe " (p. 132) should be Benard de la Harpe. The author charges Judge Martin with an error in the census of 1769 (p. 341), but the error occurs only in a wretched reprint of Martin's history, not in the original. Aside from these slips, the author traces in a clear and interest- ing way the history of the Mississippi valley from the earliest Spanish discoveries down through the Revolution of 1768. The chapter on the Spanish period, being merely an introduction, might with advantage have been much abridged. In the political history the author goes over ground already trodden by many authors, particularly by Winsor, The Mississippi Basin. By American readers, therefore, much of the